Patan

Get in

Micro Bus from Ratnapark in Kathmandu (15 rps, 10 rps for students/volunteers with a Nepalese ID card). Taxis are a more expensive option 200-350 rps (~3-5 USD). Buses. Catch a blue or green bus on Kathmandu's Ring Road (loops around Kathmandu Valley) for 15 to 20 rps. Tell the cashier/attendant that you want to go to Patan. He'll let you know when you get there. It's only a 15 min walk to Patan Dubar Square from Ring Road. Walk. It is quite straightforward to walk from Thamel to Patan in about 90 minutes with many things to see along the way. There are a couple of bridges providing access from Kathmandu to Patan so a good city map would be an asset. Note: Nepal Buses & Micro buses are not very good for handicapped people or the faint of heart. The people are very friendly, but the vehicles are very old & rough.

Get around

The city and its sites are best seen on foot. Taxis, minibuses, and tuk tuks are widely available.

Do

Just wander around keeping your eyes open for all the amazing sights.

Buy

thumb|A fruit vendor, Lalitpur thumb|Local vegetables

Eat

thumb|Lagankhel Market, Patan thumb|Layeku Kitchen, Mangal Bazar, Patan Cafe de Patan. A pleasant, centrally located restaurant and cafe (see 'sleep' section) Patan Museum Cafe Downtown. One of the best value restaurants in Patan. Excellent food. LaSoon. A small restaurant with indoor and outdoor seating set in a nice garden and serving a mixed menu with daily specials. Try the La Soon Plate or the La Soon Platter, one of which is vegetarian. They also do nice chocolate brownies. It's good value and well worth a visit. Summit Hotel. Good on a Friday night as they have a barbecue by the pool. Manny's Eatery & Tapas Bar - good food and ambience. Located inside the "Shaligram Village" in Jawalakhel. There's a popular street in Jhamsikhel past the fire brigade which is host to numerous restaurants, popular with expatriates and locals. It's informally known as "Jhamel", a take on the more touristy Thamel, but much more chilled out.

Drink

There are plenty of choices like Manny's to have a good drink in Patan. The popular Jhamsikhel and Jawalakhel areas have various good bars with good music.

Coffee

Cafeophilia, Durban Square. A stylish cafe. Excellent coffee. Desserts. Delicious pizza and standard cafe cuisine. Free Wi-Fi. Daily: 6:30AM-9:30PM

Coffee Corner and Lounge, Mwaamadu Galli, Durbar Square (from main road, in narrow alley on left side of Durbar Square). Traditional house. Dimly lit atmospheric rooms. Excellent coffee. Desserts. Simple meals.

Sleep

thumb|Teej festival While most tourists stay in hotels in Kathmandu city centre when in the Valley, mainly concentrated in the tourist catchment area of Thamel and its vicinity, Patan which is 4 km from Thamel is fast becoming an area of preference for those in the know looking for more space and less chaos. Many of the expatriate communities live in the Patan area as the INGO's like the UN, DFID, GTZ are located there. The Swiss and Norwegian Embassies are also in Patan.